Finding Reality
by Perfectly-Imperfect1996
Summary: Wendy Darling wants to go home, and so she leaves Neverland behind to travel with the pirates. She doesn't plan on getting attached but as she stays on board Killian's ship she begins realizes that maybe he isn't all that horrible after all.
1. Chapter 1

I looked around the Lost Boys' camp only to find it in shambles again. It seemed that every time they finished repair Hook's crew would come in again and try to fight them. The pirates had gotten more daring in recent weeks and had been attacking more and more frequently and personally I was tired of it.

"Wendy!" Nibs called. I turned to face him and noticed a large cut running down the side of his face.

"Whoa, come on let's get you checked out. Is anyone else hurt?" I asked.

"No, but Peter's missing."

"Peter can take care of himself," I assured him. I led Nibs back to my tent where I had several kinds of medicine; a perk of having a doctor for a father in my world, he was always making me carry a fully stocked first aid kit cause I never knew when someone would get hurt. I unloaded my pack and began cleaning his cut. The other boys filed in a few minutes later and I counted them all quickly. "Where's Tootles?" I asked.

"He went to check the traps," one of the twins told me.

"He always misses the fights," the other twin finished.

"Right, of course."

"Are we going after Peter?" Curly asked pulling one of his springy curls with a worried look on his face.

"_I _am going after Peter, you all are staying here."

"Aw man," the twins said in sync.

"Stay here and start cleaning up," I told them all. I began packing my bags and getting ready to head out. I walked out of the tent and glanced over my shoulder at the boys who were looking a little too calm. "I mean it, stay here." Nibs followed me outside and stopped me.

"You've gotta let me come with you Wendy!" Nibs begged.

"You're the oldest of the boys, you need to stay here and take care of them while I'm gone. It'll be quicker if it's just me, if you came with me I'd worry about you too much."

"I can fight!"

"I know you can, you wouldn't have gotten all those battle scars if you couldn't. It doesn't change anything, stay here and take care of the others. That's an order."

"Aye aye, Captain," Nibs said rolling his eyes.

"Now go on, I'll see you in a few days."

OoOoO

It took me hours to walk to the shore where Captain Hook's ship was anchored. By the time I arrived I was much too tired to actually swim out to the ship and stage a rescue mission. I missed cars, and motor boats and airplanes. It had only been a few months since I left my world but it seemed like years. I made camp in the trees not far off and tried to scope out the ship but couldn't see much from this distance, a nice pair of binoculars would come in handy right about now.

The following morning I woke up before dawn and walked down to the shore. I didn't have to worry about swimming out to the ship because Hook was waiting on me on the beach. I drew my sword, which Peter had taught me how to use in my time here, and held it out. "Tsk, tsk, no need for that now, Darling."

"Where's Peter?" I asked not lowering my weapon.

"Back on the ship, of course we'll return him to you soon. We just wanted to shake him up a bit. I'd like to negotiate with you."

"I don't bargain with pirates," I said.

"How do you know you don't if you've never tried?" He asked.

"What do you want, Hook?" I asked.

"I want you on my ship."

"What?" I asked a bit taken aback.

"You heard me. Everyone knows Wendy Moira Darling, the daring swords master from a distant world, blah blah you've heard the stories I'm sure. You've only been here a few months but word does travel fast, fairies love to gossip I'm afraid."

"I'll make you a deal. You agree to not only let Peter go but leave him, the lost boys and everyone else in Neverland alone and I'll join your crew."

He thought it over. "Deal."

"Really?" I asked shocked. He winked at me and motioned me to follow him into a small boat to go back to his ship. He offered me a hand so I didn't fall. We rode in silence towards the ship and when we got there his men tied us off. A ladder was thrown over the side and we climbed up.

"Welcome aboard," Hook said when we reached the deck.

"It's a pirate's life for me," I mumbled. No one laughed Pirates of the Caribbean joke but Hook glanced at me curiously. "Where's Peter?" I asked.

"Right there," Hook said motioning towards a door where one of the sailors was leading Peter up. "I'm sure he can fly his way off to shore, we have places to be."

"What's he talking about Wendy?" Peter asked glancing at me. I looked away. "Wendy?"

"I'm not staying with you Peter."

"That's ridiculous, of course you are," he said. I shook my head.

"You need to get back to the Lost Boys. I left Nibs in charge; you need to go make sure he hasn't destroyed camp or something," I tried to joke but it fell flat. "Look, Peter, you can't convince me to go back. There's nothing I can do there that will help me go home, maybe with the pirates I'll be able to." I tried to be as blunt as possible, I didn't want to hurt Peter but if that was the only way to keep him safe then it's what I'd have to do. "You really need to go." He looked at me one last time before flying back to the island.

"Good job," Hook said patting me on the shoulder. "Join me in my cabin, would you? We need to talk." Raise the anchor!" He yelled to his crew. He motioned for me to follow him. He held the door open for me and I walked inside. He sat behind a desk and I sat in one of the chairs in front. "You told Peter you wanted to go home." It wasn't a question but he raised his eyebrow as if it was.

"Of course I want to go home," I said.

He nodded. "I might know of a way that can happen, and it will be mutually beneficial to both of us. You see I believe I need to travel to your world."

I laughed. "What could you possibly want to do in my world? In case you hadn't figured it out, it's really nothing like here. There aren't any pirates for one thing."

"I don't plan on staying there long; I just need to go for a little visit."

"I'm sorry but I don't think I can help you unless I know what you want. Sending you off to my world to run free probably won't end well for anyone."

"I can see you're going to need to hear a story," he said.

"Calling it a story makes it seem like you're going to tell a lie," I said.

"What if I called it a history? My history. But it's late and we'll have plenty of time tomorrow. Before you go let me properly introduce myself, my name is Killian Jones."

OoOoO

The next day one of the sailors knocked on my door to tell me that Hook had requested my presence at lunch in his cabin. I left my room and went across the ship to his cabin. "Good afternoon, Hook."

"Killian," he reminded me. I didn't make an effort to correct myself; I didn't feel comfortable calling him by any other name.

"So you told me you were going to tell me your story," I said.

"Indeed I am. Where to begin…"

"At the beginning?" I suggested.

He laughed. "If I started at the beginning that would be a dreadfully long and boring story. I should tell you that this is a love story."

I snorted. "You're kidding me right? I don't believe you. The big and terrible Captain Hook has a _love story_ to tell?"

"I promise I wouldn't lie to you. Anyways, I wasn't always so terrible." He smirked. "Ok, I may have always been a little terrible."

I rolled my eyes. "The story?"

"Right. By this point I had already been a pirate for some time, my crew and I stopped in some small town that we chose by chance. As usual we went to a bar to have a few drinks, mingle with the locals, and see what kind of stories are going around. This time was different, there was a woman." I rolled my eyes again but he ignored me and kept going. "Her name was Milah, she was married but she wanted to leave him."

"Because heaven forbid you stay out of trouble for once," I said.

"I'm always in trouble," he said. "We only knew each other for a few days, but when these things happen you know. We came up with a plan to leave town without her husband finding out but a woman from her village saw Milah getting on my ship and told Milah's husband. He came to my ship before we left to get her back."

"And that's how you lost your hand," I said.

"Are you going to let me tell my own story?" He asked. I motioned for him to go on. "Milah's husband was a coward and he wouldn't fight for her, he left my ship without her and so Milah and I were free to go off together." I started to say something but he cut me off. "I'm getting to the good part. A few years passed and I happened to stop in the same town as Milah's husband, but when we met this time he'd changed. I don't know if you've heard of the Dark One here in Neverland but in my world he was known for all the horrible things he did to people who got in his way."

"Wait, you aren't from Neverland?" I asked.

"No, I am not, my world is different. Rumplestiltskin, that was Milah's husband's name, confronted me and asked about his wife. I lied at told him she was dead. He challenged me to a duel to finish the one we started."

"And that's when-" He cut me off.

"If you don't stop interrupting we will never get through this," He snapped. "Of course he had magic; I was no match for him. He was about to kill me but Milah had followed me and she told her husband what had happen and why she'd left. She stole something he wanted and made a bargain with him for our lives. He came with us to the ship to get what belonged to him, he and Milah got in an argument and he killed her right in front of me. I refused to give him what he wanted so to get it from my hand he cut it off. That's how I became Hook."

I stared at him. "I'm so sorry."

"It was a long time ago."

"He didn't get what he wanted though, did he?" I asked.

"No, it was in my other hand. I used the magic bean to come here."

"Magic bean? Like Jack and the Beanstalk magic beans?"

"Exactly like that. There are a lot of thing you need to learn about my world."

"And there are a lot of things you need to know about mine."

"So you'll help me?" He asked.

"After a story like that how could I not? I'll help you get revenge on Rumplestiltskin."

OoOoO

Every day after that I ate lunch with Hook. We talked about his world and my world and he told me stories about people who seemed so much like the people in the fairytale books I had read as a kid, except these stories were real and most of them were horrible versions of the pretty Disney movies I'd grown up with. I told him about computers and cell phones and he stared at me like I was the one telling a fairytale. "So you're telling me that there is a box where I can find anything I could ever possibly want anywhere in the world in just a few seconds?" He asked.

"Yes," I said. "You aren't going to believe me until you see one for yourself, are you? Hold on I'll be right back." I ran back to my cabin and grabbed my bag. I pulled my iPhone out of the pocket. "Let me see if this still has any battery power." I turned it on and then showed it to him. He didn't even touch it he just stared at it. I unlocked it and started flipping through my apps. "See I can play games, or use a calculator or look up words in the dictionary or talk to my friends."

"It's like a magic box," he said. His eyes were still wide. I rolled my eyes and snapped a picture of him. I turned it around to show him the photo and he jumped.

"Oh my god you are too cute." I turned it off so it wouldn't run down the battery and stashed it back in my bag.

"What else is in there?" He asked eyeing my bag suspiciously.

"Oh no, I don't think you can handle anything else today. I probably should've started you out with something simple like gum. I'll see you tomorrow, Hook."

With each day that passed I saw him less as a scary pirate and more as a normal guy, well maybe not normal in the regular sense of the word but he definitely didn't seem all that evil any more.

"What do you miss the most about your world, besides your family?" He asked one day.

"Um, I really miss the food. Like cheeseburgers, and barbecue and soda. When we get to my world we're going out to eat. No more of this ship food. We're going to get some super greasy, super unhealthy all American food. You'll love it trust me." He didn't look so sure.

"Can I look at the magic box again?" He asked.

"It's called a cell phone, but sure. Only for a few minutes though." I hadn't brought it out since the first time I'd shown it to him because I thought he might have another spaz. I turned it on and started showing him some pictures. "That's my new house; I just bought it a little bit before I ended up in Neverland."

"How did you end up in Neverland?" He asked.

"That's a story for another time," I said. I flipped to the next picture. "Those are my sorority sisters after graduation."

"You have a lot of sisters," he said.

"They aren't my real sisters, just my friends," I said shaking my head. "I'd love to just drop you in my world and see what happens."

His eyes widened. "No, I might get eaten by a cheeseburger."

I laughed. "Cheeseburgers aren't alive, Killian."

He smiled. "You finally called me Killian," he said.

"Yeah, I guess I did."


	2. Chapter 2

I was holding my phone showing Killian more pictures when the screen suddenly went black. "Oh," I said a little sadly. "The battery finally died." The last link to my old life was gone. I sighed and tucked it back in the front pocket of my bag. Eventually I'd be able to charge it; at least I hoped I'd be able to. I got up and walked over to the window and looked out over the ocean.

"Remembering flying with that annoying fairy?" Killian asked.

"I wasn't, but now I am," I said with a shudder.

"What? You don't like flying?"

"I'm not a big fan of heights," I admitted.

"How did Peter get you here then?"

"Mostly by force," I said shaking my head.

"Do you want to tell me the story now? We have lots of time," he said.

I leaned against the window again. "Did you know my middle name Moira means star of the sea? I was meant to be a pirate apparently."

"Wendy," he pressed.

"Fine, you want to hear my story? I jumped. I climbed up the clock tower on campus and I jumped. I thought the view would be a nice last thing to see before I died. Then Peter saved me and flew me to Neverland. I saw it as punishment for a while, I wanted to escape everything but instead I was stuck in the same place in my life forever."

"You tried to kill yourself?" He asked. I nodded. "I never thought about that. Even with everything that had happened in my life, dying never even crossed my mind."

"It was the most terrifying thing I've ever done. She would have killed me herself if she'd had the nerve, at least that's what I told myself when I was standing up there. She ruined my life so why wouldn't she just want to kill me too? But taking everything from someone and then forcing them to live with that is the worst kind of torture, I get that now. I'm not going to let her win this time; I'm not going to stay miserable." I became quieter and quieter until I finished in a voice barely above a whisper. Killian never asked who I was talking about or for any more of the story then what I was giving and I was grateful for that.

"If I take you back are you going to try again?" He asked after a long silence.

I shook my head. "I could've done it a thousand times on that island but I never did. I may have been ungrateful at the time but Peter really did save me."

"Good, because I'm not going to let you die on me, Darling."

OoOoO

**Three Months Later**

"Killian, I really don't think this is a good idea," I said eyeing the castle.

"Are you scared?" He teased.

"Yeah, obviously, I have a right to be!" I said. "I've heard the stories about this woman, she's insane!"

"If everything works out we won't even see her. We'll run upstairs, grab the girl and get back out."

"How do you know this girl even has the answers you need?" I asked.

"She was Rumplestiltskin's prisoner for a long time, if anyone has the answers I need it's her."

"What if the stories aren't even true about the curse?" I asked. "We really have no way of knowing that they aren't just rumors."

"You're not afraid of the queen," he said. "You're afraid that I'll back out on our deal if it turns out I don't need to go to your world after all. Isn't that right?" I didn't say anything. "After everything, you still don't trust me?"

"I barely know you, Hook!" I snapped. I hardly ever called him Hook anymore unless I was upset with him. He looked hurt for a moment before erasing it off his face and falling back into one of his usual smug expressions. "You're after revenge and you'll do anything to get it. If it's not convenient to you, you aren't going to go out of your way to help me."

"Even if they're just rumors, I'll take you home. I promise."

I wanted to yell at him that I didn't trust him and storm off own my own. I could take care of myself. But I couldn't find my own way home. I didn't know this world. I didn't know where to even begin looking for someone who could help me, Hook was my best bet. I was using him just as much as he was using me. That's why I trusted him. "What are we waiting for? Let's go."

He looked a little surprised but started walking towards the castle. "I'll distract the guards outside while you sneak in, don't forget-"

"To take out both the guards on the second floor and not just the one at the top of the stairs, I know. We've gone over this plan a hundred times, it's practically fool proof," I said, rolling my eyes.

He nodded. "I'll meet you upstairs." He stepped out of the trees and around the side of the building. I waited until I heard both the guards talking to Killian before slipping out and following. I stuck close to the building and was able to get to the door without being detected. I glanced at Killian and the guards who were arguing with him. The loud voices drowned out the sound of the door opening and closing but I knew the guards inside would hear it. I ran upstairs and drew my sword.

The first guard was easy, he hadn't been expecting me to be ready to fight and I cut him down quickly. The second lunged at me and I lost my grip on my sword, it flew out of my hand and down the steps behind me. I drew a dagger out of my boot and held it out, though it wasn't much match for his sword. I was going to have to be in closer range to stab him. I had never been a great knife thrower but I flung my dagger at him anyways, it hit him in the thigh but it wasn't enough to make him fall down. I was out of weapons and I tried to feel down the steps behind me to see if my sword was in reach. I was about to just lunge at him and hope that I could wrestle his sword away from him when there were footsteps on the stairs and Killian launched past me to stab the guard. I grabbed my sword from the steps before following him down the hallway.

"This is it," I said pointing to a door. He opened grabbed the key ring he must've stolen off one of the guards and let us in. There was a girl on the bed who looked up quite surprised. "Are you Belle?" I asked for conformation. She nodded slightly.

"Who are you?" She asked.

"We came to get you out of here," Killian said. "Your father is in danger."

"What?" She asked.

"The same man who took you now has your father," I said.

"Rumplestiltskin?"

"Yes, and we need your help to kill him," Killian said.

"I don't-" she started. "How am I supposed to know how to kill Rumplestiltskin? And even if I could, I wouldn't. I'm sure if you just let me talk to him I could sort things out."

I looked at Killian, his lead had been wrong. "Now what?" I asked, a bit snappily. He started to draw his sword. "No!"

"What?" He asked surprised.

"You can't kill her!"

"She's right," a voice said from behind us. We both turned to see a woman who I assumed must be the queen. I wanted to turn to Killian and tell him that I had been right and it was his fault we were probably going to die, but I was afraid to take my eyes off the queen. "Belle is not entirely useless." She motioned towards him and his sword arm swung down involuntarily. "Be a dear and put that thing away. I think it's best if we have a chat."

No one said anything as we walked the halls of the castle. A set of ornately decorated double doors flew open when we approached to reveal a large sitting room. One wall was lined with book shelves and another was an entire wall of windows. She gestured towards a settee "Tea?" She asked. A pot began pouring cups before we had a chance to say anything. "Sugar or milk, Wendy?" I started at my name. "Don't be surprised, I know everyone's name." The cup found its way into my hand.

"What is it you want to chat about?" Killian asked. I was glad one of us had found our voices.

"I think we can come to a mutually beneficial deal. I know what you want and I can help you get it."

"How do you propose that?" He asked. I swirled my tea in my cup but didn't drink, I couldn't be sure it wasn't poisoned.

"I think things have gotten a bit too boring around here, I want to change things up. I have plans to send the entire realm into another world, a world without magic." She looked at me. "Your world."

"You're going to send all these crazy _things_ into my world?" I asked, finally speaking.

"Don't worry. Magical beings won't be quite so magical there, everyone will be human." She looked at Killian. "Without magic you can kill Rumplestiltskin without going through much trouble, he won't be able to pull out your heart or any other undesirable things like that."

"What's the catch?" I asked.

She smiled. "All you have to do is one small favor."

"Small doesn't seem like your style," Killian said.

"There are certain people who I'd rather not have follow me to this new world."

"Who?" I asked.

"Cora, my mother."

"You want us to kill your mother?" I asked.

"Yes, that is precisely what I want you to do," the queen said evenly. "You'll need a little magic, of course. Your hook please?" She motioned for Killian and he stuck out his hook which the queen enchanted. "Now you'll be able to remove her heart. It's as simple as that really."

"Alright," Killian told her. "We'll need some time to prepare; I assume you know where she is."

She pulled a box off of one of the book shelves and removed a large top hat. "You'll be going today."

"Today?" Killian and I both asked at the same time.

"Yes, and you'll be taking him with you." She gestured towards one of the guards we had killed on our way in. "The same amount of people who go in must come out."

"Go in where?" I asked.

"Here." She gestured at the seemingly normal hat. Before I could comment she gave it a spin and a tornado like vortex came out of it. "Well, what are you two waiting for?" I glanced and Killian and he shrugged. He lifted the dead guard over his shoulder and took a step towards the hat. "Best to hold on to each other, it can be a little unpredictable at times!" The queen called over the increasingly louder noise. I grabbed Killian's hand and we jumped towards the portal.

Everything went dark and had no idea where I was. I was still holding Killian's hand but when I tried to look in his direction all I saw was pitch black. I tried to speak but either my voice was lost in the noise of the vortex or I didn't actually say anything at all.

Just when I had decided the queen must have tricked us into jumping into this eternal darkness, we were tossed into a bright sunny day. I hit the ground with a thud and rolled over top of the dead man and landed face down in the grass. I stood up and took a look around. "Any idea where we are?" I asked Killian.

"Not the slightest."

"What are we going to do about him?" I asked motioning towards the dead body. Killian just shrugged. I glanced around at the shrubbery and took a few steps forwards and ran into a dead in. "I think we're in a maze. This way is a dead end."

"So is this one," Killian said. I turned to face him and saw that five guards were blocking the other direction.

"Halt in the name of the Queen of Hearts."

"Oh great, more royalty," I mumbled. "I never thought I'd miss democracy quite so much." Two of the guards grabbed my arms and held them behind me back while another pair did the same to Killian and the last guard snatched up our dead companion. We were led through the maze faster than I could move my feet and I ended up letting myself be dragged most of the way. When we finally stopped walking we were in a throne room of sorts. There were a handful of people wearing outrageous clothing waiting. In the middle sat a woman whose features were hidden by a large mask she held in front of her face.

She whispered into a tube and the attendant standing next to her repeated her words. "The queen wishes to know why the two of you were found in her garden."

"We're looking for someone, she goes by Cora in our world," Killian told her.

The queen removed the mask and stood up. "She goes by the Queen of Hearts in this one." She turned to the other people standing near her and waved them away. They all scattered in various directions leaving me and Killian alone with Cora. I stumbled forwards as the guard let me go. Killian didn't waste any time stabbing Cora with his hook. Cora laughed a horrible cackle that reminded me of a fairytale witch and pulled away from Killian. "You really think the Queen of Hearts would keep hers where everyone else does?" Cora lunged for Killian and I pushed him out of the way. She grabbed my arm and yanked me up so I was standing in front of her. "And who are you?"

"Wendy Darling," I said.

"How cute. Who sent you to kill me?" She asked.

"What makes you think I'd tell you?" I countered. I may not have liked the Queen back in Killian's world but I was certain I liked this Queen even less.

"I did try asking nicely." She stuck her hand into my chest and grabbed my heart. I gasped in pain. Cora glanced at Killian, "Tell me who sent you, or I'll kill her."

I didn't expect him to say anything. If I was dead that would be one less thing he had to worry about. "Your daughter," he answered, much to my surprise. Cora released me and I stumbled backward. Killian grabbed me to keep me from falling.

"Regina. I should have known," Cora said to herself. She looked up at us. "It would be easier just to control you both but Regina would notice that." She looked incredibly irritated. "I assume she has finally gathered the means to put her curse in place." Neither of us answered and she took that as a yes. "Why did the two of you agree to help her?"

"Revenge," Killian answered.

"Does anyone ever do anything for any other reason?" Cora mused. "I'm sure my daughter conveniently left out the most important part. "

"And that would be?" Killian asked.

"Once the curse is put in place no one will remember who they are, everyone's lives will be replaced with a new identity. Even you, Darling, even though you are from there." I didn't like her use of my last name.

"How do we stop it?" I asked.

"Oh that's simple really. Help me and I'll help you. I'll stop the curse and you will help me rip out Regina's heart."

"Simple," I repeated. She smiled, obviously ignoring my sarcasm.

"Alright, what's your plan?" Killian asked.


	3. Chapter 3

We went back through the portal with Cora who was pretending to be dead. We were going to hand Cora over to Regina and let them figure out what happened next. I was crossing my fingers that nothing went wrong because I didn't know what we'd do if Regina found out we'd been lying. The Queen was waiting when we exited the portal. Killian dropped Cora onto the chaise I had been sitting on earlier that day and she landed with a thud. Regina walked forward and inspected the body. She left the room for a moment and I glanced at Killian nervously but he was staring off into space intently. Regina came back into the room with a guard and had him take Cora away. She didn't say much to us but motioned for us to follow us down the halls of the castle.

When we reached a room at the far end of the castle close to the gardens she motioned for us to wait outside. "You think she bought it?" I asked Killian quietly.

"Seems like it."

"She seems sad about it." He didn't say anything and I sighed. "I don't trust Cora."

"Neither do I."

"Then why are we doing this?" I asked.

"If we forget who we are I'll never be able to kill Rumplestiltskin and you'll never be able to go home."

I thought about what Cora had said about everyone getting a new identity. It didn't seem too horrible, to start over from scratch. I didn't voice these thought because I knew Killian would disagree. We waited a few more minutes in silence.

"What's going on in there?" I asked. Before Killian could answer Regina opened the door and walked past us. Killian and I both ducked into the room. "Cora?" I whispered.

She sat up and pulled herself out of the box. "Change of plans."

"Change of plans, you can't just change the plans and not tell us," I said.

"Calm down," she said waving me away. She walked out of the room and motioned for us to come with her. She didn't explain anything until we were quite a ways from the castle. "The curse is on its way. I'm going to make a protective space for us so it won't affect us. According to prophecy the curse will be broken in twenty-eight years, until then we will be frozen in time here. After that we will be able to leave here and continue on with our plans."

"Twenty-eight years? As in I won't get home for twenty-eight years?" I asked.

"You will stay exactly as you are now, it is only your friends and family who will change," Cora told me. "Either you stay with us or you go with the curse and lose your memories, either way you won't see your family for twenty-eight years."

"I'll stay then," I said reluctantly.

"Good, it's always better to work with a team," she said patting my arm.

OoOoO

**Twenty-Eight Years Later**

I drew in a deep breath. It felt like I hadn't touched fresh air in years, which I guess I hadn't. I glanced around though nothing appeared to be changed. "Does this mean the curse is broken?" I asked Cora.

"Well I guess it does," she said happily.

"We should find out who else got trapped in this bubble," Killian said. "There should be some towns in here with food still.

"Yes, the two of you should. I have lots of things to take care of if we're going to get back to your world, Wendy," Cora told us. "Don't worry about where I'm going. I'll find you." She was gone in a cloud of purple smoke.

"Great, this is just great," I said.

"Come on, there are ogres in these parts," Killian warned.

"Ogres? She could pick a part of the world with nice sparkly unicorns or something?"

"Don't be silly, unicorns aren't real," Killian said.

"But ogres are? That's hardly fair."

"If we don't get out of here before dark we're going to get eaten by one, so you may want to hurry up." I groaned and followed him deeper into the forest.

"Shouldn't we be going the other way? How many towns could really be in the middle of a forest?" I asked.

"The other direction is wasteland; the curse took everything on the other side of the wall. This direction is our best bet; hopefully there is something on the other side of these trees."

"And again I want to know why Cora couldn't have picked somewhere nicer to save."

OoOoO

We had walked for hours and had yet to find a single person. "Maybe one of us should climb a tree or something, see if we're going the right direction."

"Good idea, I'll give you a boost," Killian said.

I rolled my eyes. "I was actually hoping you'd do it."

"You're smaller. These trees look pretty weak they're more likely to hold you."

"Fine, send up to my death. No big deal."I sighed and picked a tree that had a few fairly low branches. "Aright help me up."

He held out his hands and I stepped up. He lifted me up as high and he could and I jumped to grab the branch. It took a little work to pull myself but once I got up the climbing was fairly easy. I pulled myself up as high as I thought would hold me then slid across the sturdiest looking branch to get a better view. Talk about a wasteland. I could see the line where the bubble had enclosed us, the trees around us had birds and squirrels but past that everything seemed so dead and empty. I turned to look in the direction in which we were walking and saw the end of the forest not far away. "Thank god," I said. I crawled back across the branch and then back down the tree.

"See anything?" Killian called.

"I'll tell you when I get down. Catch me!" I jumped from the lowest limb and into Killian's arms. "Good catch." He sat me down and I took a step away.

"Afraid I was going to leave you up there?"

"Maybe," I said with a shrug. "The forest ends not far from here. I think I saw some houses past that."

"Good, I'm tired of these trees." We walked on for a while in silence before Killian finally said something. "Eventually you're going to have to start trusting me."

"Same goes for you," I said.

"I already do." I glanced at him skeptically. "You kept Cora from attacking me."

"It was a reflex," I said. "Anyways, you kept her from killing me."

"Reflex," he said smirking.

"It's not that I don't trust you, it's just that I-"

"Don't trust me?"

"Well, I don't dislike you. That's got to count for something."

"How many times am I going to have to save you before you start trusting me?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. Just keep doing it."

"You got it, Darling." He winked at me and I shoved him away laughing.

OoOoO

"I feel bad for the people that got trapped here," I told Killian a few days later. We were sitting outside a farmhouse we had found; the owners had given us some food and told us we could stay in their barn if we wanted to. "They have no idea what happened to them. They might have had family on the other side of the border and now they're just gone."

"They're better off. At least they remember who they lost. Everyone on the other side lost all of that. Who knows what Regina is doing to them now?"

"Would it really be so bad? Minus the whole Regina thing. I wouldn't mind starting over anyway. There's a lot I'd like to forget."

Killian didn't say anything for a while. "I wouldn't want to forget. If you forget what you've been through you forget all the lessons you've learned."

"I guess you're right. Who's to say we wouldn't make the same mistakes in that life as we did in this one."

"I wouldn't want to forget Milah either."

Killian hardly ever mentioned her and I wasn't quite sure what I should say. "Better to have loved and lost than to never love at all."

"What?" He asked.

"It's a saying, from a poem I think."I grabbed a stick and started doodling an anchor in the dirt next to me. "What was she like?" I asked.

"She was adventurous and she didn't want anyone or anything to hold her back. She did whatever she wanted to do, sometimes without thinking about the consequences. But she was brave enough to handle whatever she caused." He paused for a moment and then looked at me."She was a lot like you actually." I hadn't realized how close I was sitting to Killian. I stood up quickly and grabbed the plate I'd been eating off of.

"I'm going to run this back inside," I said. I went around the corner and opened the front door. I sat the plate on the counter and went back outside. Before I went back around the corner I took a deep breath. I wasn't about to be anyone's replacement. I stepped around the corner just in time to see Cora arrive in her signature cloud of smoke.

"Good news, we have a break through," she said smiling. "Snow White and her daughter are currently on the run, from me, and they are the key to making it to Wendy's world."

"Snow White, like princess who at a poison apple and was saved by her Prince Charming?" I asked.

"Yes, the very one. She was taken to your world by the curse, if she's here then that means there is another way to get between the worlds."

"That's great!" I said. "What is it?"

"That is where the two of you come in. Hook, I want you to intercept Snow and her traveling companions. They're going to a camp where some survivors have gathered, I've killed everyone there already. Pretend like you're the only survivor, they won't be able to resist stopping to help. Wendy, I want you to stay here and keep up with these." She handed me three bracelets.

"You want us to split up so I can guard some super unattractive jewelry?" I asked skeptically.

"These will allow us to get up the beanstalk to find the enchanted compass we need to get to your world. I can't risk these getting in the hands of those stupid girls."

"Then why don't you keep up with them?" I asked. Before I finished though she had disappeared. "We aren't splitting up."

"I don't think we have much of a choice. I don't want my heart to be ripped out, do you?" Killian asked.

"It's a bad idea."

"Are you afraid to be alone?" He asked.

"Of course not!" I snapped. He raised an eyebrow. "Ok, maybe a little. I have no idea where we are, this isn't my world!"

"You have a sword and I've seen you use it. You can take care of yourself," Killian assured me.

"What if you can't find your way back here later?" He sighed and reached into his pocket. He unwrapped the chain around it and handed it to me. The pendant was circular and had a key hole shape in the top on the box, I flipped it open to find a compass. "A compass?"

"An enchanted compass." He showed me an identical one that he was wearing around his neck. "They'll always point to each other. That one belonged to Milah." I looked at it again and saw that it was indeed pointing directly at Killian. "Now we won't be lost. Does that make you feel better?"

I nodded. "Yeah ok, just don't get eaten by an ogre or anything."

"I'll try not to."

He left and I sat back down. I flipped open the compass and watched the arrow move. I walked around the barn and tried to find something to do. There wasn't any telling how long Cora would leave me alone and it would be days before Killian got back. I grabbed my bag and stuffed the bracelets into the bottom and tossed it over my shoulder. To hell with Cora and her plans. I wasn't about to sit on my ass while everyone else got to be out doing something.

OoOoO

I followed the compass through the forest. I felt like I was going in circles because the arrow kept moving and I couldn't walk fast enough. Finally the arrow stopped moving and I followed in a straight line until I could hear voices. I couldn't make out what was being said but there were definitely several women ahead. I tried to get closer and see what was going on. When I did get close enough I could tell Killian was tied to a tree being interrogated by some blonde lady. This was precisely why we worked in a team. I took a deep breath to get into character and then ran out of the trees. "Killian!"

"Who are you?" The woman snapped.

"Emma, calm down," another woman with short black hair said. She turned to me. "My name is Mary Margret. Who are you?"

"My name is Wendy. I was heading back to camp and I found it in shambles. I couldn't find Killian but I knew he wasn't dead." Emma looked like she was softening.

"Cut the act, Wendy. I'm going to tell them," Killian said with a sigh.

"I almost had her!" I groaned.

"You are a much better actress," one of the other women, a brunette, told me.

"Do I need to tie you up too?" Emma asked.

"No need, what do you want to know?" I asked sighing.

"How about you start at the beginning?" Mary Margret suggested.

"That would be a very long story. I'm from your world and I just really want to get home."

"You're not from here?" The brunette asked gesturing to me and Killian.

"He is. I'm not."

"How did you get here?" Emma asked.

"Well I was in a different world to start with, but Killian and I sailed here."

"You can sail in between worlds?" Emma asked.

"It's more complicated than that," Killian interjected.

"We can help you get home. Cora is trying to get there too, she sent Killian after you. I have something that might be able to help us all," I told them.

"Cora? I thought she was gone," Mary Margret said.

"She's very much still here. So, can we work together or not?" I asked.

"I still don't trust him," Emma told me.

"It's alright, neither do I. But I trust Cora even less and if I'm going to help anyone get into my world I'd rather it be the two of you that actually belong there. So can we untie him?" Emma nodded reluctantly and the Asian woman who hadn't said anything to me untied Killian from the tree.

"What do you have that might be able to help?" Mary Margret asked.

"There's an enchanted compass that will lead to our world. It's at the top of the beanstalk which we can only climb with these enchanted bracelets on because the beanstalk is spelled," I told them.

"Do you know where we need to go?" Emma asked.

"I do," Killian answered.

"Then by all means, lead the way," Emma said irritated. I liked her; she was almost as snappy as I was.


	4. Chapter 4

"I'm Aurora, by the way," the brunette said walking along beside me.

"Nice to meet you," I told her.

"That's Mulan," she said pointing towards the fourth woman. I nodded but didn't say anything. "How long have you been in this world?"

"A while, plus all the time I was stuck in the time bubble. I spent some time in a few other places, mostly Neverland."

"I've never left this world, are they very different?" She asked.

"Oh, yeah. They're pretty different. Especially my world, its crazy different."

"I'd like to go some day. Maybe Mulan and I will visit after our land is back to normal."

"I'm sure you would like it there," I told her.

"Do you miss it?"

"I miss certain things about it. Then there are other things that I'm not looking forward to getting back to."

"We're here," Killian called from up ahead. Aurora and I followed the others into the clearing where the giant beanstalk was reaching up into the sky.

"You weren't kidding about a beanstalk," Emma said.

"It leads to the home of the giants. It is the last of its kind, the rest were destroyed during the war. Up there is a castle with a very large treasury, in that treasury we will find the compass. Of course that means climbing the beanstalk and battling the giant first, but it shouldn't be too difficult," Killian told them. I removed the bracelets from my bag and put one around my own wrist before handing the other two to Killian. "Now who's going with us? Will it be the protective mother? The strong silent warrior? The-"

"Give me that," Emma said snatching the extra bracelet out of his hand. She walked over to Mulan and talked to her for a moment before coming back over to us. "Well come on, what are you standing there for? We have a lot of climbing to do." The three of us walked towards the beanstalk and stood around it. "How exactly does one climb a beanstalk?"

"You just climb and try not to fall," Killian told her. "Wendy, go ahead of me."

"Is that so you can attempt to catch me and end us killing us both, if I were to fall? Or do you just want to spend the next few hours checking out my ass?" I asked. "There's enough room for us to spread out. I don't plan on falling, if that really is what you're worried about."

OoOoO

We'd been climbing in silence for what felt like forever and my hands were beginning to get tired. "Someone say something. I need a distraction from the feeling of my hands slowly falling off," I said.

"Let's talk about you, Emma," Killian suggested.

"I think I'll pass," Emma said. "What about you Wendy, care to share your story."

"I would rather continue in silence I think," I told her.

"Oh come now, you've barely told me anything about your past," Killian pressed.

"That's not true. I told you I was born in New York; I was basically raised by my grandmother. I had an extremely privileged Upper East Side life complete with private school and a fancy sports car. Then I threw that all away to go to college in Texas which was the biggest mistake of my life. The end."

"No, the actual end would have been when you threw yourself off a clock tower but were miraculously saved by Peter," Killian said.

"Killian!" I was so surprised by his offhanded comment about my attempted suicide that I lost grip on the beanstalk. I reached for the first thing I could and barely grabbed on to one of the vines. Killian stuck his hook into the beanstalk before swinging down to grab me with his good hand and pulling me back up. He put his hand on my back holding me against the beanstalk even after I had gotten my footing back.

"I shouldn't have said that, I'm sorry."

"Are you alright?" Emma asked.

I nodded. "Yeah, just a little shaken up." I look at Killian who looked a little terrified though he was attempting to act nonchalant about the whole near death experience. "Do you want to know the whole story?" I asked.

"If it isn't going to cause you to fall again," he said.

I took a deep breath. "One of the things I was most excited to do in college was pledge a sorority. My mother and grandmother were legacies and I just knew that I would fit right in with the same sorority as them. Instead I met Marissa and her friends. We hit it off right away and I knew that I had to pledge with them. For the first year everything was fine. Marissa and I became best friends and everyone was so nice. Then the longer I was there the more controlling the officers started to get, Marissa especially. She targeted me worse than any of the other girls. I was supposed to live up to all these standards no one had explained before. Rissa decided what I wore, where I went, who I dated. Then one day I met this guy, an art major, he was the exact opposite of the kind of guy I was supposed to date. Once Marissa found out she threatened to have me kicked out of school, I don't know how she would have done it but I wouldn't put it past her."

"Sounds like an extremely toxic friend," Emma said.

I nodded. "I didn't listen to her and kept seeing him. She got to him and made him leave campus. He didn't even break up with me in person I had to find out over Facebook that he'd started seeing someone else. When I confronted Marissa about the whole thing she denied it, of course. Then she turned it around on me and told everyone about how I was adopted, that my birth mom was an alcoholic and crazy and that it had probably rubbed off on me. The stories got worse and worse until I couldn't go to classes. They tell you all of that goes away when you leave high school, they lie. Anyways, I couldn't take it anymore so I jumped off a clock tower." I took a deep breath. "There's the end you were looking for, Hook."

"I didn't mean to upset you," he said.

"Whatever, its fine. Now you know the whole story." I looked up. "We're almost there; let's just not talk about it anymore." When we got off the beanstalk and onto the giant's land I realized how tiny we were compared to everything else. "I know that you said it was a giant, but I was not expecting him to be this giant."

"Let's hurry before we bump into him," Emma said. The three of us went into the castle. There were rooms upon rooms of treasure. "This place is a mess."

"Killian, seriously how are we going to find this thing?"I asked.

"Split up," he suggested. We all walked into the room and I noticed a wire and threw out my arms to stop the other two.

"Trip wire," I pointed. We looked up at the massive cage suspended above the room. I stepped over the wire and nodded for them to do the same. "Keep a look out, there may be more."

I had only been looking for a moment when there was a huge rumble, like an earthquake. Things started falling and I screamed as a massive statue crashed to the ground almost crushing me.

"Wendy!" I heard Killian yell. "Stay there, I'm coming to you."

Things continued to fall and I then I saw the giant appear in the doorway. "Who dares disturb me?" He bellowed. I heard Emma yell something at him but I couldn't make out the words as a chest fell down spilling its contents on the floor. I finally saw Killian coming but just before he reached me a chunk of the stones from the wall fell, trapping him underneath. I rushed toward him and started trying to push the out of the way. I heard a loud thunk as the trip wire cage hit the ground.

"Killian, are you ok?" I called.

"I'm alright, just a little bruised. Can you get me out?" He asked. I sighed in relief.

"I don't know, I'm trying." I didn't know how long I worked at pushing the immovable stones but nothing worked.

"Get him out," I heard Emma tell someone. I looked over and saw her with the giant. The giant nodded and reached for the rubble, he was able to lift them with one hand. "Now, I need you to keep him here. Ten hours sounds like enough time."

"What?" I asked confused. The giant reached for Hook and lifted him to the wall where he tied him up.

She held up the compass. "I'm going to get us home and I don't trust him."

"But you trust me?" I questioned.

"Not particularly, but you belong in our world so that's where I'm going to take you."

"I'm not just going to leave Killian here," I told her.

"Suit yourself, it doesn't make a bit of deference to me," Emma said.

"I'll wait here, we make good time. We could catch up with them before they leave," I told him.

"Wendy, you need to go. She's your best chance at getting home."

"You're supposed to be coming back with me too," I reminded him. He hugged me awkwardly with his free arm.

"You have the compass, I'll find you. Don't let them know about it," he said quietly.

"Ok," I said stepping away.

"Ready to go?" Emma asked. "We have a long climb down."

OoOoO

Emma barely talked to me on the way down. "What did you do to convince the giant to give you the compass?" I asked.

"He was afraid of humans because they killed his family. I promised I wasn't there to hurt him and told him why I needed the compass. So he let us live."

"Killian isn't such a bad person. There's a story you don't know."

"Everyone has a story, doesn't mean they're a good person. It just lets you understand them." We didn't say anything for a moment. "Does he know you're in love with him?"


End file.
